Follow The Red Line - Live At The Village Vanguard
SSC3075 2007-09-11
Track List
Train - 15:59
Arjuna - 14:41
Pop Tune #1 - 11:56
Viva Las Vilnius - 12:59
Zea - 6:52
Togo - 12:55
Morning Bell - 9:19
Musicians
Chris Potter - saxophone
Craig Taborn - electric piano
Adam Rogers - guitar
Nate Smith - drums
Saxophonist Chris Potter has been pushing the limits of the saxophone since his entrance to the jazz scene. Potter created the Underground band as a vehicle for his explorations in improvisation and composition. Though the band has only been around for a short time, it has proven to be one of the most engaging and far-reaching ensembles around. The new recording, Follow the Red Line, documents the band in its element, a live performance at the famed Village Vanguard, and expands upon their previous release, Underground (Sunnyside 2006). The band consists of young stalwarts Craig Taborn (keyboards), Adam Rogers (guitar) and Nate Smith (drums). This recording serves as a perfect expose of Potter’s prowess as composer and performer.
Reviews
Nothing seems beyond his grasp. but the delights here are that some of the settings temper his powerdrill intensity and offer light and shade.Michael Jackson, DOWNBEAT - April 2007read the full article
He builds gargantuan solos with the personality of a freight train: slow at first, then surging and bold, and finally explosive and spectacular. Potter’s band Underground is his most hard-hitting outfit, and this document of the band’s tenure in the legendary Greenwich Village basement club bristles with daring and funk energy. What a great record!
Will Layman, PopMatters - December 2007 read the full article
But as Potter blurs the lines between jazz, rock, funk and even a little afrobeat in ways that are finally being accepted again two decades after The New York Times declared the “pestilence known as fusion is dead,” the best word to describe this recording is, quite simply, great.
John Kelman, all.about.jazz - September 2007 read the full article
